


Not Ready to Shine

by Nicnag



Category: SEAL Team (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:53:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25225618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nicnag/pseuds/Nicnag
Summary: If a genie granted Jason 3 wishes, Bravo 1 knew exactly what he’d ask for. The first would be that Alana was still alive. His children deserve their mother. The second wish would be that all of the brave men he had lost over the years now relegated to the same group in his phone were all still alive. The third, and final, would be that he never knew when it would be his last mission. He never wanted to have to make the decision to leave the teams. As selfish as it was, he’d rather go down in the proverbial ‘blaze of glory’ like so many of his brothers, but he knew for his kid’s sake, having an injury that he could overcome so he was still functional, but not operational would be the best scenario for them. However, life was cruel because he’d never get any of those wishes as he was gearing up for his last mission, a decision he made.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 40





	Not Ready to Shine

**Author's Note:**

> While not wanting to ruin the story line, I do want readers to know that no character is confirmed dead in this short story, readers can draw their own conclusions on the outcome, this is focused more on the emotions a team can go through when one of their own is injured and needs more help than Trent can give him.  
> Any mistakes are mine, I have no experience in the military, but I try to make things as believable and technically accurate as I can

If a genie granted Jason 3 wishes, Bravo 1 knew exactly what he’d ask for. The first would be that Alana was still alive. His children deserve their mother. The second wish would be that all of the brave men he had lost over the years now relegated to the same group in his phone were all still alive. The third, and final, would be that he never knew when it would be his last mission. He never wanted to have to make the decision to leave the teams. As selfish as it was, he’d rather go down in the proverbial ‘blaze of glory’ like so many of his brothers, but he knew for his kid’s sake, having an injury that he could overcome so he was still functional, but not operational would be the best scenario for them. However, life was cruel because he’d never get any of those wishes as he was gearing up for his last mission, a decision he made. 

No one knew except Blackburn. He didn’t want it getting into his teammates heads possibly affecting the mission even though it was a fairly routine target package. As he lined up with his brothers in the C-17, the hatch open and red light glowing, he had an overwhelming surge of fear, an emotion he wasn’t used to. He knew in that instant, he wanted to make it home for his kids and his team because he didn’t want them to have to go through another death. He chastised himself that he had been so selfish. Alana’s words asking him if he wanted to die rang in his ears. He now knows why she said what she said. The guilt replaced the fear as he tumbled into the darkness with only his brothers around him now. This would be his last HALO jump as Bravo 1. He didn’t know if he’d have to perform any jumps as the new Green Team Instructor. As he and his well built team joined hands, he forced all non-mission related thoughts from his mind. His ability to compartmentalize was both a blessing and a curse. 

As he and his men stashed their gear, Clay opened up a map and began calculating their exact distance to their target now that they were on the ground. They welcomed the cool night air as they began their 5k trek across the barren desert. The team would be wheels up by the time the sun finally rose and the sweltering heat bore down on anyone still out in the sand. 

“Do you know how many creatures there are in the desert that could kill us?” Sonny asked as his boots sunk into the sand in line with the others as he brought up the rear.

“Yeah Sonny, you remind us every time,” Clay quietly replied to his best friend as he triple checked his map.

“Seriously though, we are more likely to be killed by the critters than the tangos. The other teams never seem to be dropped in places like we are,” Sonny continued to complain. By now, the team was used to the Texan and his ‘fears’ and ‘phobias.’

“Sonny, if we only went where you weren’t concerned about wild animals, we’d never leave the C-17,” Brock smirked as the rest of the team smiled, all except Sonny.

“Look at it this way, brother. We get dropped in these places because we are the best. The cake eaters know we can go anywhere and still be successful,” Ray reasoned.

“The belly of the C-17 sounds great right about now. Just walking in sand I’ve already burned off the piece of pie Naima made for us last night,” Trent added to the conversation, wishing he were in his hammock with another slice of peach pie.

Before anyone could respond, Jason lifted his hand in a fist, signaling the team to halt.

“Cut the chatter,” Jason told his team in a whisper as he dropped his NODs so he could see further into the distance. The rest of the men did the same and then raised their guns to peer through their scopes. They formed a tight circle with their backs facing the center and each of them looking off into the night in different directions. They were barely half way through their walk when Jason swore he saw movement. The moon had been bright enough to navigate their path so he could see when the cactus ‘disappeared’ for a few seconds, indicative of someone or something going by it obscuring it from view. This was not an ideal place to be should there be militants. They could easily be flanked and with no cover, they were like fish in a barrel, like sitting ducks.

Even though Sonny had a phobia of basically anything that moved, he’d rather it be an animal than a tango lurking about in the darkness. A tango’s intent was to kill them. Animals typically didn’t get lethal unless they felt threatened or they were above humans on the food chain and were hungry. 

Clay was the first to see the stream of burning red heading their way from the direction he was facing. 

“Incoming,” he yelled, louder than necessary since all of his brothers were closely huddled together.   
They all felt the heat as they dropped to the cool sand. Another hit closer to the team sending sand spraying all over them. It would take days to rid themselves of it as it worked its way into every crevice it could. After a few moments of inactivity, Jason and the other 5 slowly raised their heads, sand clinging to their faces from sweat. 

“Either the shooter had terrible aim or it was a warning, I’m guessing a warning. There’s no intel to suggest non-combatants have any fire power. The militants would never allow it,” Jason said as he pushed himself up on his knees. 

“Bravo 1, this is HAVOC, sit rep,” crackled in all of their ear pieces, Blackburn’s voice tight with concern. Eric was pacing the length of the C-17 as he called out to his team. ISR was cutting in and out but unless a person was blind, there was no missing the heat signatures of 2 RPG’s landing dangerously close to the best team he had ever been in charge of during his time with the Navy. It’s also the same team that has given him ulcers and premature gray hair. 

Jason keyed his mic in response, relaying what he thought about the situation. Sonny readjusted his helmet strap and Clay shook the sand from his sniper rifle while Ray kneeled, leaning back on his heels and his scope to his eye scanning the distance. Trent was checking his pack making sure nothing they could need had fallen off during their dive into the sand as Brock took up the same stance as Ray on the opposite side. After a brief conversation with Blackburn, Jason told his team they were ‘Charlie Mike.’

Bravo made good time to the tiny village where their HVT was reported to be staying. However, when they got there, it appeared abandoned. Jason still couldn’t shake the earlier RPG’s from his mind and how they fit into this op or if they even did. The 6 SEALs made quick work clearing the first two shanties before focusing on the biggest building in the fledgling village. It was a patched together two floor plaster and wood structure with only openings for doors and windows. 

“Boss, none of this makes sense,” Clay whispered while he and Jason were standing with their backs to the outer wall, guns held upright prepping to enter the building.

“I’m with the Kid, J,” Ray whispered from behind Clay. 

Jason took a moment to look at each of his team members. They were all on edge, like they were just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“We’ll regroup once we clear this structure,” Jason directed to his men before initiating the breach. 

Shoddy rooms were barren and filled with sand and dust indicative that no one had used the structure for quite some time, or so it seemed, until they all converged on the center room. A ratty old table with two broken stools sat in the middle. It was obvious that something had been sitting on the table and that someone had been sitting on the stools from the way the dust was cleared. It appeared to be a computer or some sort of electronic given the outline. Before the men could radio in to HAVOC, the gut dropping clink of a grenade sounded in the room, followed by another. The second rolled into Jason’s boot as all 6 men bolted from the room.

Jason shoved Clay with all his might through the open doorway making sure the younger man cleared the front entry before Jason launched himself through the same space just as the roar of the explosion deafened his entire team. Jason could see Sonny and Brock pulling Clay to his feet while simultaneously dragging him away from the exploding home as Ray and Trent were motioning to their team leader to jump from the porch that Brock had just catapulted himself off. The heat was overwhelming as the flames licked his heels. Jason swiped at the sweat burning his eyes making it hard to see only for it to be replaced with sand from his worn out gloves. He could still see, though, the horror in his 2IC’s eyes when he tried to leap but the floor gave way. Instead of falling, however, the blast from within the home shoved him forward away from the dwelling. Broken chunks of plaster, burning 2X4’s and shards of broken glass exploded past him as he felt himself tumble through the air. 

After what seemed like minutes but was only a few horrifying seconds, he felt his body slam into something hard and unforgiving. Jason had no idea if it was the adjacent building, the ground, whether he was head up and ass down or upside down. His entire equilibrium seemed to have taken a vacation. The roar of an all consuming fire encroaching on his current location drowned out the yells from his team mates as they tried to find a way to get to him. His battered lungs screamed in agony as he tried to breathe in what little oxygen remained. 

Jason knew he should force his body to move, to try to get away from the immediate danger, but he lost himself in the flashes of memories parading through his mind as he ignored the searing pain in his chest. First it was Alana and him sneaking out to see each other in high school, then the day they brought Emma home from the hospital followed by when the doctor told them Mikey was a boy. The memories then turned to the day he became Bravo 1 and when Ray became Bravo 2 before settling on the team horsing around in the cages just moments before they got the call for this mission. Brock was laughing as Cerb found the treat the dog handler had stashed in Trent’s jeans pocket as the medic climbed up on his foot locker to put distance between himself and Cerb wondering why the war dog was sniffing him so intently around his manhood. Sonny was his animated self trying to educate Clay on the right way to cook tri-tip, a beer in his hand and his cowboy hat on his head while Clay, his ball cap backwards holding down his mess of curls, tossed a couple well read paperbacks into his pack as he listened to his best friend drone on about meat. Ray was rolling his eyes, his arms crossed over his chest leaning against the chain link of his cage as he watched the antics of the younger men on Bravo. Jason had wanted to freeze his life right then as he sat on his foot locker, a beer also in his hand, as he watched 5 of his best friends screw around like normal friends, not 5 of the most lethal men in the entire world, the weight of the nation on their shoulders.

His best friend Ray screaming into the radio to send in a helo brought him back to reality. Trent’s weathered hands checked every single inch of Jason as he had Brock keep pressure on their team leader’s chest, hands soaked in blood. Trent couldn’t hide the shake in his hands as he tried to help Jason. Jason could hear Sonny telling him to hold on, that help was on the way, but Jason could tell Sonny was choking on his words. Jason couldn’t see the Kid. He knew that Clay would have gone high for overwatch while they waited for the rescue helo. As much as he wanted to see Clay’s face, the danger to the team didn’t end just because Jason had been hurt. 

“Stay awake Brother, helo is only a few mikes out,” Brock encouraged. 

Ray, no longer needing to converse with HAVOC, dropped to his knees by Jason’s head. He grabbed his best friend and team leaders hand, squeezing with everything he had as he tried to keep the tears from falling. 

“J, hold on, I’m not gonna lose my best friend today,” Ray choked out, knowing how dire the situation was even before looking at Trent who seemed frozen, unsure of what else he could do.

The radio crackled in all of their ears as Clay informed them there were no threats on the horizon. He spotted what looked like a sophisticated trip wire just outside of the most northern wall, but at waist height which most likely triggered the release of the grenades. It was tough to know for sure since most of the building was on fire.

Jason reached for his mic key but his arm wouldn’t cooperate so Trent pressed the button.

“Team…it’s been my honor…if this is the end…I couldn’t…couldn’t have gone out…with a…a better…team,” Jason forced out as he struggled to catch his breath. “I love…you all. Tell Emma and…Mikey…and my mom…I’m sorry.”

Clay’s chest ached and his eyes burned. He didn’t even bother swiping away the tears that fell down his cheeks and onto his rifle. He prayed to Ray’s God that Trent could keep Jason alive til the helo got to them so if J did die, Trent would never have to live with wondering if there was anything else he could have done to keep J going while they all waited. It was obvious it was a set up. The house had been rigged. Someone would answer for the shitty intel.

Jason could hear the thumping of the helo rotors as his eyes slipped to half mast. He could feel Ray squeeze his hand harder as Trent vigorously rubbed his sternum begging him to stay with them. He felt himself being rolled one way, then the other, then lifted into the air. He came to a rough stop as the back board was locked into place. He could hear Trent relaying his injuries to the medics as the others pulled a panting Bravo 6 onto the bird just as it lifted up. It sounded like Clay had just run a marathon all uphill.

He felt a pinch in the crook of his elbow then a head rush, most likely from morphine. He was afraid to let himself close his eyes completely because he did not know if this was the end. If it was, he wasn’t ready. He knew in that instant he would never be ready. Is this how so many of his brothers had felt when they knew they were gravely injured and were heading home in a pine box? Would it have been better to go out like Nate or Adam? Or would surviving but suffering like Swanny be the worst way to go? He felt 5 strong, familiar hands on him as the pilots turned the bird and headed to base. 

Was this his time to shine?

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know if I need to change any warnings or any additional tags I should make, I am still very unfamiliar with how everything works, I’m fairly illiterate when it comes to computers/programs/lingo so any advice is greatly appreciated.  
> I’ve been going over this idea for a while now and decided to leave it up to the reader to finish the story for now


End file.
